By Craig Wentz
 Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier |
Town Crier Correspondent
6 errors prove costly
Prep Baseball Wrap Up
fter riding a five-game win streak powered by solid pitching and a load of offensive production, the Los Altos High baseball team last Thursday had a golden opportunity to inch closer to the top of the SCVAL El Camino Division standings.
Instead, the Eagles picked the wrong time to go flat.
Los Altos (7-3 division) had the chance to get within 1 1/2 games of league-leading Fremont (9-0) in the El Camino Division standings, but wilted by committing six errors in an 11-1 loss to the Firebirds in Sunnyvale.
The setback pinned the Eagles 2 1/2 games in back of Fremont at the midway point of the El Camino Division schedule.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second-inning, Los Altos surrendered seven runs to Fremont in the bottom of the frame in a disastrous inning that sealed the Eagles’ fate. Los Altos could muster only four hits in the game, including a double from Ronnie Remmel.
Los Altos regrouped on Saturday by thumping Lynbrook 10-4 by hammering 14 hits. Starter Greg Page (3-1) earned the win. Brian Johnson drilled three hits for the Eagles, with teammate Raul Ontiveros adding a double and four RBIs in two hits.
Page also earned a win earlier in the week in Los Altos’ 10-0 mercy-rule triumph over Homestead. Remmel led a nine-hit attack for Los Altos by belting a double in three hits. Johnson and Wes Battle added two hits for the Eagles, while Matt Kramer drove home two runs.
Mustangs stumble
Homestead (4-5) fell five games behind Fremont after getting blanked 3-0 by visiting Santa Clara Thursday and trounced 16-3 by Fremont on Saturday .
Homestead had just three hits against Santa Clara and couldn’t mount a comeback after facing a 3-0 deficit in the sixth inning. The Mustangs allowed Fremont to score 14 runs in the final three innings after trailing just 2-1 in the fourth inning. Robbie Hoffman had two hits for Homestead.
Spartans stop Paly
Mountain View improved to 3-6 in El Camino Division play Saturday with a 3-1 triumph over visiting Palo Alto.
Starter Jeremy Allen picked up the win for the Spartans. Offensively, Jordan Nelson and Brian Frassetti each hit a double and single for Mountain View and Brian Simoni produced the game-winning RBI.
Two days earlier, the host Spartans fell 8-4 to Lynbrook (3-3). Mountain View trailed 3-0, only to awaken and tally four runs in the bottom of the sixth to lead 4-3. But Lynbrook came through in the clutch by scoring five runs in its final at-bat.
Adam Hunter, Frassetti and Steven Crang each had two hits for the Spartans, with Crang adding a double and three RBIs.
Lancers double Serra
St. Francis (4-2, 13-2 ) remained a game behind Mitty in the West Catholic Athletic League race after drilling visiting Serra 10-5 on Friday.
Matt Hollywood (5-1) picked up the win for St. Francis and was supported by the sizzling bat of Mike Ribero, who homered, doubled and had three RBIs in two hits. Chet Kasper added a triple in two hits for the Lancers.
Other local action
Pinewood (0-1, 0-5) dropped its Private Schools Athletic League opener 22-2 to Menlo.
Gunn (6-1, 7-1) had last week off and sits in second-place in the SCVAL De Anza Division, 1 1/2 games behind league-leading Wilcox (8-0).
